Thursday, September 10, 2015

Reagan's NICU Grad Photo Shoot

Please enjoy Preemie Prints' families’ inspirational story & photos.

Consider supporting our mission to share hope with families who have a baby born prematurely or critically ill. We thank our supporters, Preemie Prints volunteers, and donors for allowing us to continue touching the lives of NICU, preemie, and angel families.

We pray these special memories from Preemie Prints

will help families heal and remember how strong

they were in overcoming their NICU journey together.

A NICU STORY | THOUGHTS FROM MOM

“Our NICU journey was amazing and emotional at
the same time. Raegan was sent to the NICU from the postpartum wing after her
oxygen level took a dive one night. Raegan was breastfeeding and suddenly her
face got very red, then blue. Come to find out she hadn’t developed the muscle
memory to suck, swallow, breathe and she got strangled once her body forced her
to breath. The NICU nurses and doctor were very compassionate and caring for
us. They educated us about Raegan’s condition and made sure we were 100%
confident before leaving our side. We were very scared and felt helpless for
our baby since Raegan’s weight continued to drop. She got down to 4 pounds 1
ounce before finally she began to gain weight. The nurses continued to console
us about our concern that Raegan’s ability to eat while her weight continued to
drop. We never for a moment felt alone. Eventually our smarty pants got down
how to eat and started to gain weight.”

A NICU STORY | THOUGHTS FROM DAD

"For any parent,
hearing the acronym NICU is like a worst nightmare. It's a place of
uncertainty. Stress. Fear. However, once you're on the other side of those
doors, you find it is also a place of hope. Love. Compassion. It is also home
to some of the strongest, and tiniest, fighters the world has to offer.
Miracles happen there every day. Being a preemie survivor myself, I would know.
My parents almost lost me a few times and because of NICU doctors and nurses, I
am here today, as is my Raegan.

The nursing staff and
doctors who choose to call the NICU home are some very special people. Not once
during our entire stay in the NICU did the staff leave our side. We were
educated, comforted, and assured every step of the way. The skill and
compassion that a NICU staff has is unmatched. And it showed thoroughly at
Scott & White in College Station. There are angels among us...and some of
them call themselves NICU doctors and nurses. The best piece of advice I could
give to any parent going into the NICU after their little one is to trust your
doctors and nursing staff. Thy have your itty bitty' best interest at heart and
will help guide them, and you, through all of the unknowns. They are very
special people. And I want them to know how much thanks and gratitude I have
for them. Even one year later...I can't thank them enough.

I also want to thank
everyone at Preemie Prints. We had to take a break and sleep one late afternoon
after being up for hours just watching over Raegan, and when we came back to
her crib side, she was wearing the tiniest, cutest homemade crocheted hat I had
ever seen. And beside her in that small NICU crib was a stuffed giraffe with
the a Preemie Print logo sewn on as a tag. There was also a note of
encouragement and support. There was also information left for us to attend a
NICU meeting the following day. We certainly did attend, and I can't tell you
how amazing it was to not feel so alone in the struggle. Watching our baby girl
go through all of the challenges she faced and to not be able to do anything
was horrible. The worst roller coaster I have ever been on. But everyone at the
Preemie Prints meeting was supportive and compassionate and gave us hugs and
talked to us as though we had known them for years. Preemie Prints is truly a
special organization of love and support that is irreplaceable and I can't
thank you enough for what you did for our Raegan and for us while we were in
the NICU, as well as for the continued support and follow ups once we were out.
And now this...the photoshoot. These memories are timeless. They will be
something that Raegan can show her grandchildren. They are precious and lasting
and I cannot thank Brian Parks and Preemie Prints enough for capturing the
precious smile of a baby who has overcome so much and will go on to be a
beautiful young girl and woman."

A Note From Brian:

“The shoot went great. Zachary and Raegan arrived
at the George Bush Presidential Library shortly before the sun went down, and
we were able to get in a good amount of shooting time before losing the light.
Zachary was pretty excited about the shoot, and had procured a number of cute
outfits and props for Raegan. Despite the sun going down and decent cloud
cover, it was still pretty hot out, but Raegan was a trooper through it all!
Such a laid-back little girl!”

Photos belong to our volunteer photographers, families,

and organization please do not use for any purpose.

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Preemie Prints is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization sharing hope with NICU families through a variety of support programs. One of those programs is the gift of NICU photography and preemie photography. NICU families from across the US can request a no-charge photography session by a Preemie Prints volunteer. The family request from can be found on the right side of our website. These sessions are free of charge and for any NICU family, regardless of time spent in the NICU. The NICU photo shoot can take place inside the NICU or after baby is discharged and at home until their 1st birthday. Facing time in a NICU with a premature or critically ill baby is an extremely difficult time for families. Preemie Prints has a mission to share hope by letting families know they are not alone. Preemie Prints currently has over 100 volunteers nationwide. We are always looking for more volunteers to share in our mission! If you are interested, please email sherri@preemieprints.org and visit our website at www.preemieprints.org. To date Preemie Prints and our volunteers have gifted over 400 NICU family sessions.

This was a Preemie Prints NICU graduate photography session that took place near College Station, TX.

We're thankful to the family for sharing their story & memories in support of other NICU families.